Environment in Sunbury

British Columbia is the most biologically diverse
province in Canada. Because of the diversity of ecosystems in the
province, a large number of the total number of species in Canada is
found here. British Columbia is home to more than 60 per cent of
Canada's birds, vascular plants, mammals and insects. Diversity in all
living things enriches our lives, but more importantly, biodiversity is
essential to life on earth. Biodiversity not only maintains a functional
environment; it is a resource for food, shelter, clothing and other
materials. The economy relies on biodiversity since it provides
renewable economic resources and ecosystem services, medical and
scientific benefits, and is priceless in term of cultural and
aesthetic values. The economic value of biodiversity in the form of
natural resources is easy to measure, since its biomass is directly used
in commerce. However, the value of biodiversity associated with
maintaining these natural resources is much more difficult to assess.
Biodiversity provides a variety of ecosystem services, which are
critical to human survival and the economy. Different organisms are
responsible for controlling invasive or pest species, maintaining soil
fertility, pollinating and thereby maintaining diverse vegetation,
purifying air and water, detoxifying and decomposing wastes, and
regulating climate. These ecosystem services are complex natural
processes that are interrelated in ways that are not completely
understood. Therefore, the impact of losing any one of these processes
on our economy is unknown.

The Fraser River is one of the great rivers of the
world, draining nearly 250,000 square kilometers into the Strait of
Georgia (Pacific Ocean). The estuary, a coastal body of tidal water
where fresh water is mixed with sea water, is a significant natural area
with some of the most productive biological systems in the world.

Nowhere in the British Columbia are the environmental pressures and
competing demands for space and resources greater than in the fertile
and heavily populated area around the Fraser estuary. Over the next 20
years, the growing population in the Vancouver area will reach three
million people. These people will be looking to the Fraser River estuary
to satisfy demands for housing, commercial and industrial developments,
expansion of ports, and recreation. At the same time, the region's
residents want to protect fish and wildlife habitat and improve the
environmental quality of the estuary.

Many of the species in British Columbia are at risk
of extinction. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in
Canada (COSEWIC) has identified over 100 species in British Columbia
that are at risk. In addition to the species that are nationally at
risk, the Provincial Government, through the B.C. Conservation Data
Centre (CDC), identifies species at the risk of extirpation, or
extinction, from the province. The CDC currently has identified 597
Red-listed species and 835 Blue-listed species in B.C. Red-listed
species are either extirpated, endangered, or threatened and are
considered to be the most at risk. Blue-listed species are considered to
be vulnerable to human activities and natural disturbance, and are
monitored to evaluate whether their populations are declining. These
‘species at risk’ lists identify species that are in need of protection.
There are potentially many more species at risk that have not been
included on the current lists because of a lack of ecological data and
funding.

The potential loss of wide ranging, common species,
like the Downy Woodpecker, which excavates cavities that are used by
secondary nesters such as owls and squirrels, could dramatically alter
ecological processes and species relationships throughout the Fraser
River estuary. The most difficult value of biodiversity to measure is
its aesthetic beauty and cultural heritage. Individuals and groups use
their own measuring stick to assess these values. Some idealize it, and
some define themselves in part by it.

In 1937, British Columbian artist Emily Carr wrote
in her journal "It is wonderful to feel the grandness of Canada in the
raw, not because she is Canada but because she's something sublime that
you were born into, some great rugged power that you are a part of."
Unfortunately, benefits from economic goods, ecosystem services and
societal values are in jeopardy because biodiversity is declining.

Although, species extinction is a natural process,
human consumption of natural resources has accelerated the rate of
extinction of species to more than 100 times greater than known
background rates. This loss is an early warning of a rapidly
deteriorating environment. The documented extinction and endangerment of
species, loss or degradation of habitat, depletion of natural resources
and associated economic impacts lead to a loss of cultural heritage. The
rate of biodiversity loss must be decreased if we are to retain the
magnificence of a rich biota, and sustain the natural resources that
maintain our growing human population. Wildlife corridors and riparian
areas must also be maintained to keep the biodiversity of the region
intact.

In an effort to better identify areas and their
different protection needs, an international colour classification
system has been developed and adopted by governing bodies and their
representative agencies. In North Delta, the bluffs and the adjacent
shoreline have been designated with red listed and blue listed habitat
as well as red coded and yellow coded foreshore areas respectively.
Since Red Listed species are considered to be extirpated, endangered or
threatened, their habitat is essential and is the highest on the list
for protection.

Red coded habitats include
productive and diverse habitat features that support critical fish and
wildlife functions onsite or as part of a more regional context. Blue
listed species are considered vulnerable and the associated
habitat is especially important in the Fraser corridor as it is
essential that migratory continuity be maintained for amphibians and
small mammals as well as for fish. Isolated populations have reduced
genetic fitness that will affect their long term survival.

In the latest review by the Fraser River
Estuary Management Program (FREMP), some areas
between the Alex Fraser Bridge and Gunderson slough were upgraded to red
coded, adding to a growing list of red coded and red listed
species/habitat in our area. Development in red
coded areas is restrictive and may only occur provided that mitigation
is applied through site location and/or design to avoid impacts
on habitat features and functions of the area. Habitat compensation
is not an option as a rule. The only circumstances whereby
exception to the above guideline can be considered are where the project
is specifically undertaken in the interest of public health and
safety. That is not the situation in North Delta. Even in public
health and safety cases, alternative siting and design mitigation must
be pursued to the maximum extent possible. Areas such as these
are protected for a reason…not so they can be swept aside with monetary
compensation. No amount of money can make up for the loss of
irreplaceable habitat.

In keeping with the objectives
and policies of the Delta’s Official Community Plan, we will be working
with Delta Council in:

·‘Developing a wildlife management plan
for parks and environmentally sensitive areas including a habitat
inventory’ on our bluffs.

·‘Protecting
the natural environment and heritage features’ along our river front.
And…

·Pressing the Provincial and
Federal Governments to stand behind their environmental protection
designations and policies by adequately funding North Delta’s habitat
preservation.

As well we expect the Greater
Vancouver gateway Council to respect these tenets and support us in
preserving habitat that should never have suffered further threat.